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Jose Menendez and his wife, Kitty are killed in their manision in Beverly Hills. Their sons, Erik and Lyle, find them and call the cops. The brothers claim to have been at the movies and to have come home to find their parents murdered -
The older brother, Lyle is arrested. -
Erik surrenders at Los Angeles International Airport upon returning from Israel. -
District Attorney Ira Reiner says the brothers killed their parents in hopes of inheriting their home which was estimated to be worth about $14 million. -
Looking arrogant and entitled Erik and Lyle plead innocent to all charges. -
Prosecutors accuse the brothers of premeditated murder meanwhile defense attorneys provide context of sexual and physical abuse that the brothers suffered from. -
The brothers are tried seperately and both end in mistrials.
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Their psychiatrist takes the stand and admits the brothers admitted the murder to him. -
101 witnesses including Erik and Lyle are presented to the court in the timespan of 5 months. -
After 19 days of the being deadlocked for Erik and 25 days for Lyle the judges declare mistrials. Jurors are split between second degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, and conspiracy to commit murder which leads to the mistrial. -
The brothers are put on trial together this time with the prosecutors claiming they killed their parents to gain access to the family fortune while the defense saw it was self-defense after years of abuse.
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Judge Weisberg won't allow the jury to consider the claim that the brothers killed because they believed their parents would kill them -
Both brothers are convicted of first degree murder wtih special circumstances -
Jurors decide against leniency for the brothers who are sentenced to life in jail.